


A Different Kind of Human

by prettylittlehead



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Crying, Curse Breaking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Magic, Other, Post S3, Reader is Nonbinary, Slow Burn, Trust Issues, alucard needs a fucking HUG, dramatic vampire nonsense, more tags 2 be added as things Progress i am sure, plot points shamelessly aped from princess mononoke, reader has a PUPPY, reader is here 2 provide, sorry miyazaki sensei, well hes a grown dog. but all dogs are puppy, will try 2 keep any anatomy desc as neutral as possible
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:55:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29560113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettylittlehead/pseuds/prettylittlehead
Summary: far from home, you journey in search of dracula's castle - and the vast library that hopefully contains an escape from your curse.fate, and the grumpy, traumatized dhampyr currently occupying said castle, do not make things easy for you(or: another post-s3 fic where adrian makes a new friend and recovery, slowly but surely, begins)
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Character(s), Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	A Different Kind of Human

**Author's Note:**

> a little late to the post-s3 fix-it/self-insert fic party, but hey. it's 2021 and we're still in a panorama, i'll do what i want
> 
> first chapter in alucard's pov, perspective will switch back and forth between al and reader according to my mood and the position of the stars. reader has a set backstory, but appearance/anatomy/gender will be as neutral as possible. also reader is bi btw 
> 
> also, important to note i think: the rape/noncon tag is Not for anything that will happen to the reader, but for the taka/sumi incident, which will naturally be covered at least somewhat considering [gestures at alucard and his myriad of intimacy issues.] when the topic does come up in detail, i'll put a cw at the beginning of the chapter
> 
> on that note, enjoy! i have the next couple of chapters mostly written up, but after that i'm just gonna vibe and see where the plot takes me. will try to update as regularly as possible

Though he had collected his basket and rod before leaving the castle, it was rare that Alucard bothered to fish as of late. 

He rarely ate at all, preferring to fill his aching stomach with red wine. When the hunger pangs grew too painful to ignore, he would find something in the kitchen to gnaw on until they quieted - strips of dried venison, crusts of bread, the occasional apple. He had once been able to take some joy in the simple domesticity of preparing a meal, even if only for one; now, the thought of expending so much effort on feeding himself was almost unbearable. Food seemed to spoil on his tongue, every bite carrying the sour tang of rotting flesh.

He still made a habit of wandering the forest surrounding the castle, if only to put some distance between himself and the increasingly-bitter memories that lingered behind its stone walls. He had always been able to find some solace in nature. Lisa had been much the same. He could remember clearly the autumn days when she would take him out to forage for wild herbs and mushrooms, a basket of food at hand so they could picnic as they went. Every time they would both return to the castle covered in dirt, with twigs caught in the coils of their fine blonde hair, and his father would laugh as he plucked the debris from his curls. 

No more. No mother, no father, no one to greet him but the moldering corpses outside his door and the lonely dolls collecting dust in the kitchen. He was alone, and alone he would remain. 

He shook his head abruptly, blinking back the sting of weary tears as he lounged beneath a tree by the river. It had rained torrents overnight, and the sky was still a dim, misty grey, only the faintest glimmer of gold on the horizon heralding the approach of the sun. The morning was cold, and the bite of winter was in the air. How long had it been since Taka and Sumi had betrayed him? How long since Trevor and Sypha had left to continue their adventures? 

Somehow, he still could not kill the hope that someday they would return for him. How foolish was the human half of his heart. 

He smelled the hot, wild flush of blood before he heard the thudding of paws, and he watched apathetically as the beast broke through the brush, freezing with raised hackles as he met its dark gaze. It was a handsome creature; a shepherd hound, he thought, with a thick, dark coat and a sweet face. He watched the dog's nostrils flare as it breathed, taking in his scent, and as he rose to his feet it skittered back a few steps with an uncertain whine. 

“Come, now,” Alucard murmured as he sidled closer, hand extended. “I’ve no reason to hurt a handsome thing like you.” 

The hound leaned forward, sniffing cautiously at his fingertips. After a moment, its tail started to wag slowly - and then it butted its head into his hand, the cold press of its wet nose startling a laugh from the dhampyr. He stepped closer as the dog began to busily lick his fingers, absently petting its velvety snout 

Animals tended to react strangely to him, sensing some inherent wrongness. Wild creatures rarely approached him. Despite its earlier skittishness, the hound was well-behaved, clearly experienced with people - it seemed to have sought him out, despite its natural caution. Its coat was neat, not tangled with branches or stained with dirt as one might expect from a wild hound, and it looked to have been eating well, too. Though it was overwhelmed by the not-entirely-pleasant smell of dog, Alucard thought he could smell the faint, familiar aromas of soap and iron, mingled with animal musk. And there, nearly buried in the thick ruff of fur at its neck...

Kneeling, Alucard lifted the dog's chin gingerly, the animal making an uneasy chuffing sound as he soothed it with a scratch behind one flickering ear. His mouth twisted into an exasperated snarl.

Around its throat, a collar of braided red leather, and the smell of human blood. 

_Fresh_ human blood. 

“Well, you’re clearly a well-kept beast,” Alucard said, leaning back as the hound snuffled curiously at his hair. “But where is your owner, I wonder…?” 

The dog leapt away and he flinched, automatically reaching for his sword, but it simply bounded into the trees, halting when it realized he wasn’t following. It whined at him again, ears perked and plumed tail waving expectantly. When he still didn’t move, it ran in an impatient little circle, stopping in a play bow and barking. 

Alucard sighed. “If it's help you're looking for, you should know I’m not too fond of humans.” 

But he followed the beast, easily keeping up with its bounding stride. It wasn't long before the acrid stink of demonic blood filled his nose, and with it the smell of recently-spilled human blood, growing stronger as he followed the abandoned hound.

He followed suit as the dog slowed to a cautious slink, careful eyes taking note of the signs of battle scattered throughout the forest: splintered branches and trampled greenery, three deep gouges clawed into the bark of an oak, a fine spray of red blood staining the petals of a cluster of lily-of-the-valley. The pungent reek of demon blood grew ever stronger, and Alucard raised a hand to cover his nose as the dirt beneath his boots grew streaked and tacky with thick, black blood. 

The hound gave the hulking corpse a wide berth, but Alucard paused, scrutinizing the slain demon. It was an ugly bastard, that was for sure. Standing, it would have towered over him, with a long, scaled tail and the distorted head of a bull. Its expression was frozen in an agonized snarl, a death mask that would soon dissipate with the rising of the sun. An arrow was buried in its throat, and another, broken in half, sprouted from one thigh. It had not been arrows that dealt the killing blow, however, but an axe; the weapon was still embedded in the demon's chest, sunk so deep that the haft of it disappeared into the torn flesh. The tips of its horns were crusted with dried blood. Curiously, he reached out, touched the stiff fur around the wound; the body was still faintly warm. Had he truly been so lost in thought that he'd completely managed to miss the battle taking place so close to his home? 

Abandoning the corpse, Alucard continued along the trail of human blood, glancing distantly at the smeared red handprint imprinted on a tree trunk and the discarded bow and quiver. The dog looked up at him with an anxious whine as he approached, nudging the crumpled figure at its feet with its nose. He could hear the rapid, unsteady beat of your heart, the frantic sound of your body trying desperately to keep itself alive. 

Crouching, he studied your fallen form. Judging by the state of your worn boots, you had traveled far; your black coat was finely-woven, decorated with embellished silver in a pattern he didn't recognize from his journey through Wallachia. You were young, no more than twenty-five by his estimation, and you had a strong, healthy build. He suspected that was the only reason you were still alive; a weaker person would have succumbed to your wounds already, if they hadn’t just been torn to shreds by the demon. Apart from a purpling bruise on your cheek and a nasty cut to your upper thigh, you had taken the worst damage on your right side. The minotaur's horns had left a matched set of ragged gashes in your flesh - one along your ribs, the other lower, arching over your hip. One hand, crusted with drying blood, rested limply against the wound by your chest. The other, half-clad in a thick leather glove, was flung above your head. You still limply clutched a dagger in your fingers.

“Humans. Always bringing trouble," Alucard scoffed. He glanced at the dog, who was watching him with sad, hopeful brown eyes. "You could be a free creature now, you know." 

Somehow, he had the distinct feeling that the hound disapproved of that. It leaned down and nosed at your hair, whimpering softly.

Alucard went still, muscles tensed to strike as you struggled back to consciousness, slack expression tightening into a grimace of weary suffering. Laboriously - he could see your arm trembling, the strain of your exhausted muscles - you lifted your bloodstained hand and pet behind the creature's ears. You sighed, breath rattling in your chest. The urge to flee gripped him, images of the broken bodies guarding his gate flooding his mind, but he found himself frozen as your eyes fluttered open.

You locked eyes with Alucard. 

Clear, gentle eyes. Even through the haze of pain and exhaustion, you were looking at him so warmly, bloodied lips curling into a tender smile. His heart stuttered in his chest as you reached for him, unconsciously leaning forward until your calloused fingertips met his skin. His breath ragged, Alucard forced himself to grip your wrist as your delicate touch traced the contour of his cheekbone, but couldn't summon the willpower to push you away. 

Your lips parted as you inhaled, preparing to speak - and then an agonized shudder wracked your frame, your back arching as you writhed in the dirt. Alucard heard your heartbeat stutter, watched your eyes lose focus and roll back. Unconsciousness claimed you and you went limp once more, your hand falling from his cheek.

Alucard released your wrist, rising on unsteady legs and stumbling back. He felt sick, vaguely lightheaded, an odd mix of self-loathing and anger and terrible _want_ rolling through him. Was he truly so pathetic, so starved for some kindness that the delirious smile and caress of a half-dead stranger could set his heart racing? 

He clenched his fists until his nails split the skin of his palms, forcing his breath to steady. Then he tore the sword from its sheath, apathetic to your pet's thunderous, alarmed barking. Humans were vile, violent creatures. They lived in ignorance, blind beasts who feared and attacked what they could not - what they _refused_ to - understand. Helping you would just be setting himself up for, at best, more abandonment, and at worst, another betrayal. 

And yet. 

You didn’t stir when he rested the point of his blade in the hollow of your throat. Even when he pressed harder, his shaking hands inadvertently nicking the skin and bringing beads of blood bubbling to the surface, you remained still and silent. Your breathing was labored, shallow. If he simply left you here, bleeding out on the forest floor, he doubted you would wake again before nature ran its course and death finally took you (and then he would have a new body for the pikes, some cold voice inside him suggested.) 

You were at his mercy. Vulnerable. _Helpless._

The scars patterning his skin throbbed dully.

“Shit.” 

Alucard sheathed his sword. It would be dishonorable to kill a defenseless thing like you, without giving you any chance to speak for yourself. He would bandage your wounds, allow you the chance to wake, listen to whatever explanation you would give as to why you were wandering so near to his property. 

If he didn’t like your answers, then he would kill you. Simple as that. But however low he had fallen, however cold his hollow heart, he would not be like _them._

The hound growled at him as he moved, any trust he may have earned clearly destroyed by threatening its master, but he was allowed to kneel beside you again. Gingerly, he slipped one arm behind your back and another under your knees. Even moving as carefully as possible, you still winced in your sleep, but he took that as a good sign; if you were responsive to pain, that meant some part of you still clung to life. Holding you to his chest (ignoring the pleasant shivers that pricked his skin at the feel of your warm body pressed to his), he stood. As he did so, the leather glove slipped from your left hand, falling to the forest floor. 

The reek of decay grew strong enough that he nearly gagged, his grip on your limp body flagging. He had not noticed a wound on your arm, and there had been no pool of blood under your outstretched hand - and besides, how would it have festered so quickly? 

Lowering back to his knees with your form in his lap, Alucard carefully tugged back the sleeves of your coat and tunic, inspecting your left arm. It was swathed in bandages, but looking closely he could see the discoloration creeping up your fingers; a deep, near-black purple, the color of advanced decomposition. The smell was sickening. It was a miracle the limb was even _intact_ \- he wasn’t a doctor, but the only ailment he could think of that would cause this much damage was gangrene. 

He rolled your sleeves up past your elbow, hoping to track the spread of the infection, then paused, brow furrowing. He reached out, traced the thickly-inked sigils patterning the bandages around your elbow. They seemed to almost hum at his touch, the thrum of magic prickling his fingertips. 

His mother had not been a witch. 

But the library in the castle did have its fair share of magical resources, and the Belmont Hold even more; he might have needled Trevor about it, and the hold certainly wasn't his favorite place to spend the time, but he could admit that it was an impressive collection of knowledge. More than once, in the interest of filling his mind with something other than memories if nothing else, he had delved into the tomes of the library, only processing about half of what he read. 

One day, his search for stimulation had been rewarded with a worn volume, bound in faded and torn leather; a compendium of magic symbols, recorded by some unnamed Belmont after study of numerous witches. There were the seals of Solomon, alphabets of Germanic runes, thousands of personalized sigils with innumerous uses - everything from summoning demons to hexing unfaithful lovers to keeping pests away from the harvest. 

And on one page, a collection of seals to be used to impede the spread of curses.

Alucard had the sinking feeling he knew exactly why you were here.


End file.
